own, in which a tired humanity has delighted ever since,
in which all serious thoughts are far away and the mind takes
refreshment in the contemplation of delightful things. And a great
deal of this charm is due to the pretty play from a crescendo to a
diminuendo in the tone values on which his compositions are based--so
far removed from the simple structure of flat masses to which more
primitive and austere art owes its power.

[Illustration: Diagram XXIV.

SHOWING THE PRINCIPLE ON WHICH THE MASS OR TONE RHYTHM OF THE
COMPOSITION REPRODUCED ON THE OPPOSITE PAGE IS ARRANGED]

[Illustration: Plate XLVII.

L'EMBARQUEMENT POUR CYTHERE. WATTEAU (LOUVRE)

A typical example of composition founded on gradated tones. (See
analysis on opposite page.)

_Photo Hanfstaengl_]

But Watteau's great accomplishment was in doing this without
degenerating into feeble prettiness, and this he did by an insistence on
character in his figures, particularly his men. His draperies also are
always beautifully drawn and full of variety, never feeble and
characterless. The landscape backgrounds are much more lacking in this
respect, nothing ever happened there, no storms have ever bent his
graceful tree-trunks, and the incessant gradations might easily become
wearisome. But possibly the charm in which we delight would be lost, did
the landscape possess more character. At any rate there is enough in the
figures to prevent any sickly prettiness, although I think if you
removed the figures the landscape would not be tolerable.

But the followers of Watteau seized upon the prettiness and gradually
got out of touch with the character, and if you compare Boucher's heads,
particularly his men's heads, with Watteau's you may see how much has
been lost.

The following are three examples of this gradated tone composition (see
pages 210 [Transcribers Note: Diagram XXIV], 213 [Transcribers Note:
Diagram XXV], 215 [Transcribers Note: Diagram XXVI]):

Watteau: "Embarquement pour L'Ile de Cythere."

This is a typical Watteau composition, founded on a rhythmic play of
gradated tones and gradated edges. Flat tones and hard edges are
avoided. Beginning at the centre of the top with a strongly accented
note of contrast, the dark tone of the mass of trees gradates into the
ground and on past the lower right-hand corner across the front of the
picture, until, when nearing the lower left-hand corner, it reverses the
process and from dark to light begins g